certification recommendations ?

[zapp]

Hello, 

I recently received my RHCSA certification and I'm hoping that it will help me with a career shift.

next, I'm thinking about one of these next:

1. Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration
2. Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
3. Red Hat Certified System Administrator in Red Hat OpenStack

Is one better to have than the other? or is there a better one to consider? 

Thanks 

[itnet7 · Accepted solution]

@zappIt's entirely up to you, but here are a couple of thoughts I have since you asked for random opinions.

First off each one of the Certifications you listed are good and would not be a waste of time or anything no matter what your ultimate decision will be.

There are a lot of factors that would lead me to make a recommendation in one direction or another. For example here are a few points to ponder:

Are you needing to find a job and need one as soon as possible?

Are you wanting to challenge yourself, and give yourself the most appeal to more potential employers?

Are you passionate about OpenShift and really want to land a job that is specific to that solution?

Are you passionate about building Hybrid clouds, and the backend that makes that possible?

Do you have specific job your shooting for?

When my team and I evaluate potential candidates, we interview everyone that applies that has an RHCSA or better. We have had a mix bag of potential candidates having both RHCSA and a specialist exam under their belt, and have also had a few RHCE's come through. My team and I tend to feel more confident that the RHCE's have already proven they possess a more broader scope of skills from the start since most of us hold RHCEs ourselves. This actually helps make it easier to interview in the sense that we can ask technical questions to learn more about the higher level experiences that are a hallmark of an RHCE holder. Positive responses allow for us to confidently move a candidate to the final team interview where we try and hash out whether or not they would be a good fit for our team dynamics. 

I think that if you have the time to study, and are not planning to apply for OpenShift or OpenStack specific jobs (because you really enjoy working with those technologies) It would be a good idea to shoot for the RHCE first. 

We often get asked by other teams if we are interested in candidates that applied for them (possibly because they mentioned "Linux" in their interview with the other teams). If we really are trying to find someone to fill an immediate need we will do a phone screen with a person. If they do not have any certifications, but their resume communicates a passion for Linux (which seems like an oxymoron) they are not as likely to be considered as If they have do have certifications that are Linux related, Since we are a predominantly Red Hat shop, we place a higher value on candidates that have Red Hat Certifications (past or present).

I hope this helps point you in the right direction.  

Thanks,

Chris Crisafulli

[zapp]

Thank you @itnet7 for the great input, it gives me a very good inside,

No, I'm not doing this with a job in mind, my employer got me an RH subscription so I can learn. Openshift and Hybrid clouds are something I'm very interested in and want to learn more about.

I have been a Linux user for over 25 years, I was just looking to take advantage of this opportunity and get a few certificates. I have been in the position for over 20 years and maybe those certificates will help me start a new career.

yes, you are right, I'm going to go for RHCE first! Thank you for your feedback!

Thanks

Norbert

[itnet7]

No problem. I have decided to move towards getting the RHCA myself. At one point in my career (we have both been at this for a whle), I thought getting and maintaining cerfications was paramount, I pursued and maintained a bunch of other certifications from other Vendors. This year I have decided that I'm only going to work towards certifications that are in line with my interests. At work I recently stood up an Open Shift Cluster on top of Nutanix (AHV) doing a UPI installation, between the coursed I crammed on here, some of my background experience, and some a assitance from our Red Hat account folks, it was  a huge success. I too am wanting to move in this direction. Best of luck to you in this New Year, and I hope you reach all of your goals!